Months After Devastating Wildfire, Life Slowly Returns to Grand Canyon’s North Rim

The fire erased much of a season and part of the region’s historic identity, leaving businesses and residents facing a long road back.

The Dragon Bravo Fire burns on the northern rim as seen from Mather Point on the southern rim of Grand Canyon, Ariz., on July 15, 2025. David Swanson/Reuters

JACOB LAKE, Ariz.—For Melinda Rich, the Dragon Bravo Fire did not feel like the end of a season at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim.

It felt as though the season never happened at all.